


Bedtime story under a willow tree

by Awenna



Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Orphanage, Bedtime Stories, Gen, Kid Fic, Orphans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-07-10 20:11:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7004662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awenna/pseuds/Awenna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peggy Carter works in the S.H.I.E.L.D. orphanage in which little Steve, Bucky, and Natasha live. After a long day always come story time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bedtime story under a willow tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Eufry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eufry/gifts).



> This story is dedicated to my dear Eufry. Happy birthday! I hope you like this little fic which took bigger proportions than planned (who am I kidding though, I knew from the beginning it would be longer than a one shot). I don't even know about the title, I was searching for a catchy title and this one rhymes. ;)  
> Enjoy!

‘No I don’t want to go to bed!’ shouted Steve hidden behind one of the armchairs in the playing room.

‘It isn’t a question of wanting. It is already way past your bedtime and you should all be asleep already,’ said Peggy. ‘It is applicable to you as well, Bucky and Nat. You know I can see you, right?’

‘But…’ began Steve before being silenced by one look of Bucky who asked: ‘Can you tell us a story then?’

Peggy sighed: ‘Very well, but please go quickly wash your teeth and then off to bed, you know tomorrow is a big day. Mr Fury is coming and I want everyone to be on their best behaviour. Go on, I will come to see you in 5 min and I expect all of you to be in your bed by then.’

Peggy looked at them lovingly as they all left running and chatting. Life in an orphanage was not always the easiest, but Peggy was doing her best to make them have the best life they could. She loved working with kids and it was meeting with Mr Fury whilst at university which had decided her. Mr Fury was a stern-looking man who had greatly inspired her (and frightened her a bit at first she must admit). He was the director of the S.H.I.E.L.D. orphanage. She was still wondering what those initials meant, but she liked the idea presented by this tall black man. ‘My aim is to welcome children who do not have anyone to welcome them anymore and to help them grow. Whether they spend one day or ten years with us, I want them to feel like they belong.’ This, and the discussion that ensued, had greatly impacted her. He had talked of discipline and fun, of how both should go hand in hand, and how a serious education did not mean an absence of love or games. He had offered her a job after her graduation and she had accepted.

Steve and Bucky had arrived the year after her. They were so young, so tiny back then. They had used to be neighbours. Steve living alone with his mum in a small flat next to Bucky’s. Both Bucky’s parents and Steve’s mum had died in a fire which burnt their whole building. As they had no one else, they had been sent to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Peggy could not imagine what it must have been for them. Steve was four and Bucky five at the time. They had not want to part from one another and did everything together. More than once since their arrival, Peggy had found them in the same bed. Steve was the loud one despite being the youngest, or maybe because of that. It had been four years and they were still here. They were a package and most people who came here did not want to adopt two children at once.

Natasha had arrived only the year before. She had come from an abusive family and while Peggy did not know all the particulars, from the little she knew, it gave her goose bumps. She was so young as well, only five at the time. Yet, she was fierce and did not let anyone tell her what to do, despite being one of the youngest. It was Bucky who had talked to her first, but wherever Bucky was, Steve followed (and vice-versa she must say). Ever since, they had been painting the town red.

‘Ah those kids!’ she thought, she was happy she had found them. She had found her place here and would not change it for the world. She began moving towards the boys’ room, for of course they were in the same room. Natasha was sharing a room next door to the boys’ with Wanda, who had another long and difficult story for so young a person. The orphanage, situated in an old mansion, had small two-person bedrooms rather than big dormitory, which made it more like a home, but more difficult to look after the kids when they decided to hide.

However, both Steve and Bucky were in bed when she entered the room; although she suspected they had not been two seconds earlier if she were to believe their quick breath. Natasha was waiting, seated on Steve’s bed. With an unapologetic look she said: ‘You promised a story.’

‘Indeed I did,’ answered Peggy. ‘It will not be long because as I reminded you earlier, you have a big day tomorrow and I want you to be well-rested,’ she continued. ‘And on your best behaviour,’ she added after a short break.

‘What would you like me to read?’ she asked.

‘Could you tell us one of your stories, please? You tell them so well!’ said Bucky.

‘Oh yes, please!’ pleaded Steve.

‘Alright let me think for a second,’ she paused and thought. She always loved to tell stories, and so after a few seconds, she knew what she wanted to tell, where she wanted to go.

‘It is the story of three friends whose names I will withheld. They, however, liked to be called by nicknames, respectively Black Widow, the Winter Soldier, and Captain America.’

‘Black Widow was a young lady with deep auburn hair and a sharp tongue who knew how to fight better than anyone else. She was not the only one who knew how to however. Captain America, a blond man seemingly from another age, was always ready to fight to defend those who could not and with Black Widow and the Winter Soldier, that was a common occurrence. The Winter Soldier was also a good fighter, but he had one physical particularity which distinguished him from the others. His arm, like an upgraded version of Captain Hook’s hook, was entirely made of metal.

No one knows how they became who they are, or why they choose those names. All that the people knew was that they were looking after the country of Brooklyn and its inhabitants, protecting them from dangers.’ Peggy stopped, the three children were looking attentively at her, waiting for the rest. She carried on:

‘They had been trained as soldiers during the war which shook the country years before, but they could not go back to life as it was before with its daily routine. So they decided after some discussion to patrol in the main city, Hill, where they lived. They had protected people from attacks and had thwarted numerous attacks against the security of the state. The state of Brooklyn was governed by an elected government and people were living peacefully, not everything was perfect, but everyone was working hard to make life good for everyone.’

Natasha interrupted the story to ask what ‘thwarted’ meant.

Steve answered before Peggy could: ‘It means “to prevent”.’ ‘This is right, right?’ he asked looking at Peggy. She nodded and he looked proud. She carried on:

‘Everything was going on well until one day, a terrible dragon attacked the capital city, Schulz. Part of the market and of the harbour, for the city was on the coast, were destroyed. It left as quickly as it had arrived. The inhabitants went to help the people who had been in the now shattered part of the city. After the bigger part of the rubble was moved and the people who had been there had been saved, the crowd moved towards the government palace to ask for explanations and for reassurance as to what could be done.

The governor of the city came to the balcony and said loudly so that everyone could hear them:

“Schulzian, we have a suffered a terrible loss today. I, in the name of the government of the country, present my condolences to all of those who have lost loved ones during this attack. The dragon Hydra has come back after all those years, but we will not let this beast destroy our country like it did during the war. I have asked Black Widow, Captain America, and the Winter Soldier to go on a mission to protect the land from this threat and kill this dragon. They accepted and will go with a small group of our best soldiers. They will leave tomorrow very early in the day.”

They stopped and the crowd cheered. In the early hours of the following day, a small troop departed from the city to the land of Hydra, the dragon.’ Peggy stopped there, all three children had fallen asleep and were breathing steadily.

She took Natasha in her arms, after having put the duvet back into place on the asleep boys, and brought her back to her bed. As she switched off the light, she looked with tenderness on the girls. She loved those children so much. ‘Mr Fury was right,’ she thought, going back to one of her early meetings with him in this mansion, ‘those children have lost their families, but have found an adopted one here.’

She went back to her room, she would need an early night, tomorrow was going to be a big day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the end of the first chapter. I'm not a big fan of long chapters (when I write, because when I read, oh my days, long works are my life!) so here you are. I had originally planned to begin the fic by the story and only write the story as in a story book, but who doesn't like a bit of a backstory and a story which will probably go beyond simply a bedtime story. Next chapter is the big day with 'Mr Fury' appearing. :)


End file.
